Lesson 3 Activity

[Apharius Redrush]

Professor Redrush swept into the full classroom, the excitement obvious in each of her student’s faces. Before she began, professor Redrush waved her wand, and three boards appeared each with a diagram on it.

“Today’s lesson will be a fun one: giving each other a tarot reading. The boards in the front of the room here have three different basic spreads: 15 cards, 10 cards, and 5 cards. The fewer cards used, the more specific the reading. The 15 card spread is more of a generalization of one’s character; 10 cards, or the Celtic Cross spread, is an overview of a situation in one’s life; and 5 cards deals with a specific question that you want answered. Now, I would like each of you to pair up, trade decks, shuffle them, then pass them back. Choose one of these three spreads, and use the interpretations in these books to perform you readings. You may begin!” she instructed the class, and with another wave of her want, conjured books for everyone entitled Basic Tarot. She then sat behind her desk and started reading the essays her students sent to her.

[Dastan Cross]

Dastan immediately groaned. A partner? Really?

Before he could move to find a partner, however, someone plopped down in front of him and pulled out their deck.

"Let's just get this over with," the other student said.

Dastan nodded tersely. "Right. Let's." He then pulled out his own deck, the Minchiate Deck and exchanged with the other student, who was also in Slytherin.

"So, you're Dastan Cross?" the other kid said, shuffling the deck. "I'm Desmond Sagely."

"Charmed," Dastan said, leaning back in his chair and shuffling Desmond's deck almost lazily. He obviously didn't care for divination, so why should he even try to put too much effort in this kid's 'fortune?'

"This class is a load of crap, isn't it? I feel stupider for having just started it," Desmond stated, setting the deck down and immediately putting it into the Celtic Cross formation. Dastan had originally been leaning towards the Five Card Spread, but didn't care either way. He didn't believe this nonsense anyways.

"Why are you still here, then?" Dastan asked, intrigued despite himself.

"My parents are gypsy fortune tellers. They insisted." Desmond rolled his eyes, then pulled out his Basic Tarot book.

"Okay. The card in the middle is the Two of Coins. It says here that it symbolizes change. The one on top of that is the Charity Card, upside down. It means that you're charitable acts are done for gain and motivated by vanity and selfishness. It also symbolizes a second chance with expected failure."

Dastan blinked. That wasn't too off-base. It was actually a little bit eerie. "Go on."

Desmond looked over the book again. "This card," Desmond pointed at one, "Is the Six of Cups, also upside down. This symbolizes you closing your heart to simple pleasures, contempt for gentle acts of kindness and you having sexual insecurities. It also means that you are trapped in the past and refusing to move on to adulthood. Sound accurate?"

Oh, Merlin that did. It was scary, quite frankly. What was going on? Instead of saying that out loud, Dastan scoffed. "Of course not. But keep going. It's kind of entertaining."

Desmond snickered and continued, his gaze a little more knowing than Dastan would have liked. "This card here is Time. It symbolizes the healing of old wounds if you just open yourself up to the process. And that one, that's the Gemini card, in reverse. It symbolizes cunning and says that you're concealing yourself with a duplicitous facade. It also means you're anxious about something."

Dastan sat silently staring at the card spread. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. But Desmond was continuing: "Oh, but look, that card, the Ace of Wands, means that there's a new opportunity arising in your future. But this card, the Justice Card reversed, symbolizes an imbalance in your life, or some kind of injustice done to you that might fumble up your new opportunity. And that card..."

Dastan tuned out Desmond for a moment, feeling his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He hadn't expected this to be this way. Either Desmond was eerily good at reading people, or there was more to these cards than he had known. But that was impossible. Fate was not already decided. It couldn't be. It wasn't fair.

"...Dastan?"

Dastan snapped out of his thoughts. "What?" he stated irritably.

"You do know this isn't real, right? That it's just a silly card game? It's only as true as you let it be."

Dastan eyed him for a minute, then spoke, "Of course I know that. I was thinking about something else."

Desmond's eyebrow shot into his hairline. "Really? Like what?"

"None of your damn business. Can we finish this already? I'm getting bored and we still have to do yours."

"Right. Well, that card there, the Ten of Swords, symbolizes ruin and crushing defeat if you underestimate something. That last card is Aquarius, and it's in reverse. It means that you may one day grow to contempt the emotional needs of others and you might possibly destroy yourself. Cheerful, right?"

It wasn't. Dastan was not comforted by that. What if there was more to it than that? He just wanted to talk to Astin. Astin always made him feel better. Rubbing at his face, Dastan sighed. "Alright, now let's get yours over with..."

And then Dastan went through Desmond's. Even so, his mind was still on his own reading. What could this mean? Nothing. It meant nothing. He wasn't about to let this get to him. He made his own destiny. Fuck this class. It wasn't worth it.

Once the assignment was done, he quickly stood and left, determine to get out of this stifling room and out into the open where he could believe that anything was possible.


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Very well done!!!!

Activity: 18/20
RP: 5.6/10
Essay: 3/5

Total: 26.6/35